Kids' Curfew Proposed in Montgomery County

Parents could be punished for kids' violations

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Kids will have to be in by 11 p.m. on weekdays if a new curfew passes in Montgomery County.

Updated at 6:13 PM EDT on Tuesday, Jul 12, 2011

Without the burdens of homework or going to school, summer is the time for kids to stay up late and take things easy.

But in Montgomery County, Md., they may not be able to stay out late.

The County Council just received a proposal that would set a curfew for minors ages 18 and under. The proposed rules banish kids from public places from 11 p.m. until 5 a.m. weeknights. Curfew would start at 12:01 a.m. on the weekend.

The council will hold a public hearing on the curfew proposal in two weeks, NBC Washington's Chris Gordon reported.

"I think the big question is, Is this the best approach to deal with the issue of juvenile crime?" Council member Phil Andrews said. "Are there other more effective approaches and are there aspects of this that haven't gotten thought through yet?"

"There was an incident where I was told that 60 gang members came from out of county and came to Silver Spring," Council member Marc Elrich. "The assertion was that they came from D.C. and Prince George's County, which both have curfews, and we're the place where you don't have a curfew."

In an interesting twist, if kids are caught out after hours, the proposed bill could make parents attend parenting class as a punishment.